Flow control device



Aug. 18, 1959 R. R. DA1-n. ET AL 2,899,979

FLOW CONTROL DEVICE Filed May 19, 1955 25.2 .-2 /0 57 M Z 3l 3 /9 20 f Y, m 1

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United States Patent 2,899,979 FLOW CONTROL DEVICE Application May 19, 19'55, Serial N'o. 509,549

6 Claims. (Cl. 13S-45) This invention relates to improvements in flow control devices for maintaining a substantially uniform rate of ow of uid over a wide range of pressure variations.

A principal object of our invention is to provide an improved form of ilow control device so arranged as to effectively operate under higher pressure and delivery voltlme ranges than have heretofore been considered possi- A further object of our invention is to improve upon the annular flow control devices heretofore in use by molding a stabilizing ring within the ow control device to prevent distortion thereof, to accommodate the capacity of the flow control device to be increased without an increase in the outside diameter thereof and the size of the casing therefor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a ilow control device in the form of a resilient annular flow control member for providing a uniform flow rate over a wide range of pressure variations, in which buckling, distortion or collapse of the ow control annulus is prevented, to accommodate the device to operate at far higher pressure and delivery volume ranges than have heretofore been considered possible.

Still another object of our invention is to provide a novel and improved form of ow control device in the form of a resilient tlow control annulus in which the control of the flow of Huid is obtained by ilexure of the member to vary the area of the ow passageway leading therethrough as the pressure varies, and in which the annulus is stabilized to eifect uniform restriction of the ow orifice through the annulus without distortion of the annulus.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a simpler and more eicient form of flow control device in the form of a resilient annulus, in which the flexure or bending action of the annulus for the control of the ow is substantially unaffected and distortion of the annulus is prevented by the provision of a metallic insert within the annulus concentric with the center of the oritice leading therethrough and spaced a predetermined distance from the downstream side of the annulus, to stabilize the annulus against distortion without substantially affecting the bending and ow control action thereof.

Still another object of our invention .is to provide a novel and eflicient form of flow control device arranged to more accurately control the ilow than formerly, particularly at high pressure and volume ranges, by contouring the downstream face of the annulus in the form of the frustum of a flat cone, accommodating the ow of the material of the annulus along the seat therefore upon increases of pressure, and by providing a thin metallic insert in the annulus coaxial with the center of the liow orice therethrough and closer to the downstream face of the annulus than the upstream face thereof.

These and other objects of our invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds `and with reference to the accompanying drawings where-- Figure 1 is an end view of a flow control device and casing constructed in accordance with our invention looking at the casing from the upstream end thereof.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along line II-Il of Figure l, showing the flow control device in an unstressed condition;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view somewhat similar to Figure 2, but showing the flow control device in an extreme flexed condition, effected by the pressure of the uid acting thereon; and

Figure 4 is a plan view of the flow control member looking at the member from the downstream face thereof.

In the embodiment of our invention illustrated in the drawing, we have shown a coupling or casing 10` which may be connected in a water line or in association with either the intake or discharge end of a valve or like device. The casing 10 has a passageway 11 leading thereinto and terminating into a shoulder 12 intermediate the ends of said casing against which rests a seat 13, which may be pressed thereagainst. The seat 13 is shown as being in the form of an annulus having a central ori'lice ll5 leading therethrough and forming a seat for a resilient flow control device or annulus 16, having a central orice 17 leading therethrough and of a smaller diameter than the orifice 15, to accommodate the free flow of iluid through the orifice 15 in all positions of ilexure of the flow control device 16 along the seat 13.

On the downstream side from the seat 13 and the shoulder 12 is a passageway 19 of larger diameter than the passageway 15 leading through the seat 13 and terminating into a frusto conical passageway 20 terminating in an outlet passageway 21 from the casing or coupling 10. Y Seated within the passageway 11 on the upstream side of the flow control device 16 is a retainer ring 23 loosely retaining the flow control device 16 to the casing or coupling 10 in position to engage the seat 13 and bend inwardly into'engagement therewith upon increases in pressure on said ilow control device. The retainer ring 2.3 is spaced from the ow control device 16 a distance sufcient to accommodate a certain limited freedom of movement of said flow control device.

The flow control device 16 controls the ow of fluid under pressure by the reduction in the cross-sectional area of its orice 17, upon increases in pressure thereon, on the same general principles as have been disclosed in Patent No. 2,389,134, which issued to Clyde A. Brown on November 20, 1945. The llow control device 16 may be made from a resilient or elastic material, such as rubber or one of the well known substitutes for rubber,- such as neoprene, and the like, so as to be readily flexible in a downstream direction upon increases in pressure of the iuid acting thereon.

The upstream face of the flow control device 16 is shown as being flat and as having a uniformly curved inner corner 24 leading to the orice 17 and providing a uniform relatively smooth orifice for all degrees of bending or` exure of said flow control device as the pressures vary. The inner wall of the flow control device is shown as being cylindrical when the device is in an unlleXed condition. The wall, however, may taper outwardly ltoward the downstream side of the flow contro-l device at a slight angle if desired. The ow convtrol device 16 also has an outer wall 25 spaced inwardly from the wall of the passageway 11 a distance suiicient to accommodate free bending of said control device under the pressure of fluid acting thereon, when in place within the passageway 11.

The downstream face of the flow control device 16 f 2,899,979 A I ,t

is shown as being of a concave form and contoured inwardly to form a concave face 26, generally frusto-V conical in form and extending inwardly from a location close to the outer margin of the flow control device and lterminating into,v a plane face parallelf to the up-- stream face of -the flow control device, which extends to the margin of the central orifice 17. Y

Recessed within the flow control device 16 and `co axial with the center of the orifice 17 thereof is a stabiliz- `ing device 3f), herein shown as being a relativelyr'thin metal ring 'or, sleeve' which may be molded within the flow control device 16 upon the molding thereof.

During theV operation o f molding the flow control device 16, the metal insert 30 is supported on a plurality of pins (not shown) which may be four in number. At the end of the molding operation the pins are'removed leaving the holes 31. These holes have no effect on the control of the flow of fluid through the orifice 17.

The stabilizing insert 3Q is shown as being located closer to the downstream face of the ow control device 16 than the upstream face thereof, and may be located at` the various positions along said flow control device, but preferably should be spaced closer to the downstream face of the flow control device than the upstream facethereof and should be located on the downstream half of the flow control device so as to have no substantial effect on the bending and flow control action thereof.

`While the stabilizing device is shown as being in the form of a solid vring, it should be understood that the ring need not be solid but may be split if desired. The ring further should he as narrow as molding operating pressures will permit and while larger than the inside diameter of the orifice should come as close to the inside diameter of said Vorifice as practical, commensurate with manufacturing and functional requirements.

It may be seen from Figure 2, that as Huid under pressure acts on the flow control device 16, the device will flex in the direction of the ow of fluid through the orice 17 and gradually reduce the flow area thereof, the frusto-conical downstream face 26 moving radially inwardly along the face of the seat 13. Y

It may further be seen that a simple and improved form of flow control device has been provided which is particularly suited for the control of fluid at relatively high pressures, and that high pressure operation is lattained without distortion of the flow control device by stabilizing without substantially .effecting the bending movement and flow control action thereof as the pressures on the flow control device increase, so as to hold the orifice from distortion and prevent buckling of the flow control device and thus increase the life thereof.

it may still further be seen that 'stabilization of the flow control device is attained without substantially effecting theV bending and flow control action thereof by the Vuse of a thin insert which may be metal, and'by the positioning of this thin insert in such-relation With respect to the upstream face of the flow control device as to have no substantial effect on the reduction in crossseotional area of the orifice as pressures thereon increase and to hold the flow control device from distortion under extreme high pressure conditions.

It may also be seen that by the inclusion of the metal insert, a flow control of a given diameter may have a larger'orifice than heretofore, with the result that the housing for the flouI control may be smaller and less expensive for a given volume of fluid than formerly.

i It may further be seen that with the stabilized flow control device of our invention, that the ratio between the diameter of the central orice of Ithe ow control deviceand the outside diameter thereof may be increased from former, flow control devices so as to accommodate the -flow control device to efficiently operate under far higher pressure and rate of flow conditions than have heretofore been considered possible with such flow controls.

It should further be understood that the term distortion as used herein is intended fto be construed as buckling or collapsing of the orifice into a non-circular shape.

lt may still `further Abe Iseen that the flow control characteristics of the flow Vcontrol may be varied by changing the relative size of the insert or varying its position with respect to the upstream side of the flow control member. f

It will be understood that modifications and variations in the present invention may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof. Y

We claim as our invention:

l. A fluid flow control device for maintaining a sub- 'stantially uniform delivery rate over a wide range of pressure variations lcomprising a casing having a passageway leading therethrough, a dat seat in said passageway facing the upstream side thereof, a resilient annular flow control device loosely carried in said passageway and seating against said seat uponV the flow of fluid there#V through, the innerfmargin of said flow` control device defining a central fluid flow orifice deformable upon increases in pressure to restrict the cross-sectional area thereof, and means stabilizing said` flowcontrol 'device upon increases in pressure thereon ,and effecting a uniform'restriction of said orificev throughout the full control rangefthereof, comprising a thin metal ring carried within said ow control deviceconcentric with and relatively close to the orice thereof, and spacedV axially inwardly from the downstream face of said 'ow control device a distance less than half the thickness of said flow control device.

2. In a fluid flow control device for maintaining a substantially uniform delivery rate over a wide variation in pressures, a casing having a passageway leading therethrough, a flat seat in said passageway facing the upstream side thereof, a resilient annular flow control device in said passageway` seating against said seat upon theow yof fluid therethrough, said flow control device having a generally` frusto-conical inwardly contoured downstream face, facing said seat and engaging the same adjacent the outer margins'thereof upon normal pressure conditions and flexing downwardly and radially inwardly into engagement with said seat upon increases in pressure thereon to reduce the cross-sectional area thereof, and means stabilizing deformation of said llow control device and effecting a uniform reduction in cross-sectional area of said orifice throughout theV full range of flow control thereof comprising 'a thin metallic ring recessed within said Yflow control device in radialoutwardly spaced relation with respect to said orifice and concentric therewith, and spaced axially closer to the `downstream side of said flow control device than to the upstream side thereof.

3. In a fluid flow control device for maintaining a substantially uniform delivery rate over 'a wide variation Vin pressures, a casing Vhaving a passageway leading therethrough, a flat seat in said passageway facing the upstream side thereof, a resilient annular flow control device in said passageway seating against said seat upon the flow of uid therethrough, said flow control device having aV generally frusto-c'onical n inwardly contoured downstream face, facing said seat and engaging the same adjacent the outer margins thereof upon normal pressure conditions and flexing downwardly andy radially inwardly into engagement with saidseat upon increases in pressure 'thereon to reduce the crosssectionalarea thereof, vand means stabilizing said owcontrolfdeviceand effecting a uniform reduction in cross-sectional area of said orifice throughout the` full range of ow Vcontrol thereof, comprising a thin .metal ring molded within said ow control device concentric with the orifice thereof and spaced relatively close to said orifice but radially outwardly therefrom and axially inwardly from the downstream face of said flow control device a distance less than the half the thickness thereof.

4. A uid flow control device comprising a casing having a passageway leading therethrough, a fiat seat in said passageway facing the upstream side thereof, a resilient annular ow control device loosely carried in said passageway and seating against said seat, the inner margin of said ow control device defining a central flow orifice deformable upon increases in pressure on said flow control device to reduce the cross-sectional area of said orifice, and a stabilizing ring concentric with the center of said orifice and spaced radially outwardly therefrom closer to downstream than the upstream side thereof for preventing distortion of said flow control device upon increases of pressure thereon and maintaining a uniformly restricted orifice in the extreme deliected positions thereof. f

5. A fluid ow control device comprising a casing having a passageway leading therethrough, a liat seat in said passageway facing the upstream side thereof, a resilient annular ow control device loosely carried in said passageway and seating against said seat upon the ow of uid therethrough, the inner margin of said ow control device defining a central fluid flow orifice decreasing in cross-sectional area upon increases in pressure on the upstream face of said flow control device, and a metal stabilizing ring molded within said iiow control device concentric with the center of said orifice and closer to the downstream face of said flow control device than the upstream face thereof, for preventing distortion of said flow control device and maintaining the contour of said orifice uniform in the extreme restricted positions thereof and thereby enabling the liow capacity of said flow control device to be increased without an increase in the size of the casing therefor.

6. A fluid flow control device comprising a casing having a passageway leading therethrough, a llat seat in said passageway facing the upstream side thereof, a resilient annular flow control device loosely carried in said passageway and arranged to seat against said seat upon predetermined upstream pressure conditions, the inner margin of said flow control device defining a central uid ow orifice decreasing in cross-sectional area upon increases in pressure on the upstream `face of said flow control device, and a metal stabilizing ring molded within said ow control device concentric with the center of said orifice being located relatively close to the central iiuid flow orifice and closer to the downstream face of said liow control device than the upstream face thereof, for preventing distortion of said flow control device and maintaining the contour of said orifice uniform in the extreme restricted positions thereof and thereby enabling the iiow capacity of said ow control device to be increased without an increase in the size of the casing therefor.

References Citedl in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,515,073 Binall et al. July 11, 1950 2,572,244 Chaco Oct. 23, 1951 2,670,010 Kessler Feb. 23, 1954 2,716,427 Cantalupo Aug. 30, 1955 2,728,355 Dahl Dec. 27, 1955 2,764,183 Gollehon v-- Sept. 25, 1956 

